“Robert, no. It is quite all right. I can use a break anyway,” she lied. “But yes, it is a lovely morning.”
Diana had to admit to herself that she was a little thrilled that Robert had liked her book. She had not expected him to. She grabbed a shawl from a peg in the front hall and closed the door behind her.
“I must stop by the gallery to let Mother know I shall be out if she comes looking for me.”
Diana opened the gallery, and the little bell rang.
“I am going walking with the Earl.”
“Very well, dear,” Mother responded.
Robert waved to Mrs. Browning and then the two of them headed down the street toward the meadow.
“As part of my duties as the local Earl, I host a local fete each June. Might we stop by to see your Sinclair friends? I should like to invite you and them to be my honored guests that afternoon. Sort of honorary lords and ladies of the fete, if you will.”
Diana laughed. “Oh, my. The Sinclair twins as lords of the fete? That should be a sight. Now if you were inviting them to be honorary clowns I might understand.”
They came to the stile, crossed over and began walking. The field was filled with new spring flowers and Diana stooped to pick some as they leisurely walked along the path.
“I have to say,” Diana said, “I am surprised you enjoyed my book. I thought it might be too light reading for your taste.”
Robert looked over at her. He had picked a long stalk of grass and was chewing on it as he responded. “I can understand why you might say that. But I sat down to read it when my mind was in agitation and by the time I had finished nearly three-quarters of it I had lost all track of time and I was calm again.
“Really? That is nice to hear,” she said, looking away a little embarrassed at his praise.
“I loved your characters—their subtle interactions and the contradictions in their behavior at times. The complexity made the story more real for me.”
Diana nodded but had nothing to add.
Robert continued, “My story is so much more straightforward. It is an adventure and it is all about action. My characters take a back seat to the story line.”
Diana turned to him. “I look forward to reading it. When do you think you will get the galley proofs?”
“Soon.”
They walked on in silence for a few moments, Diana picking more flowers.
Then Robert said, “Having read your book I am somewhat concerned about what might appear to be a drastic clash in styles to your readers when my book comes out under your name.”
“That has crossed my mind as well, even though I have not read your book yet.”
“Do you foresee that becoming a problem for either of us?” Robert asked.
“I don’t know how you might feel about this, but I was thinking it might be worthwhile for me to write a preface to your book saying that I was experimenting with a new style. Wanting to break from my old genre and explore new writing avenues. Do you think that might work?” she said looking up at him. “Or might you want to reconsider using me as your surrogate author? Perhaps a man might be better suited to represent you.”
Robert reacted forcefully. “Oh, no. Not at all. I have made my arrangement with you and I mean to stick by it. However, I do feel your suggestion of a preface might be a good idea. Why do we not each write one and we shall let Sir Cecil decide which might be best suited for the front of the book.”
“I like that idea,” Diana said smiling and relieved that he did not want to cancel their arrangement.
They had, by this time, reached the far end of the meadow and had started walking back. By now Diana had picked two small bunches of flowers and had determined to give one to her mother and one to Robert. But then she suddenly realized it would be inappropriate for an engaged lady to present such a gift to a single man who was not her fiancé. But that also seemed to be a ridiculous convention and she determined she would give the bouquet to Robert.
“What is the date of your fete?” Diana asked as they descended the stile and began walking towards the Sinclair’s house.
“I believe it is the twenty-second. But I am not sure. It is the closest Saturday in any event.”
When they reached the Sinclair’s front door, Diana knocked.
“It is Diana and her Earl,” Geoffrey shouted over his shoulder after answering the door. “Hello, you two—do come inside. We are sorting beans—can you believe? We grew fa-a-a-r too many last year and have let them dry. Now we need to take out all the spoiled ones. Want to help?”
Miriam appeared with a large bowl in her hands.
“Oh, hello. Sorry for the mess, but shelling and storing dried beans is not an easy task. Tea? Shall I make us some tea?”
“Not for me,” Robert said, “I have already kept Diana too long from her writing. I read one of her books and just had to tell her how much I enjoyed it. Have you read any of her novels?”
Geoffrey pointed to a bookshelf. “Read them all.” He turned and pinched Diana’s cheek. “Our very own national celebrity. How could we not have?”
“I must not stay. Just wanted to invite you three to our local fete in June. I want you to be my honorary guests. I will even ask you to be judges of the pies and cakes. Everyone loves doing that.”
“I want to judge the boot toss,” Geoffrey chimed up. “All that black footwear flying through the air… what a thrill.”
“I think that might be arranged,” Robert said laughing.
“And flowers? Will there be judges for best roses, and dahlias and snapdragons and such?” Miriam asked.
“There will, but the judges for that event are rather specialized and they are the same each year. So, pies and cakes are all I can offer you.”
“That will do.”
“Want some beans?” Geoffrey offered. “We got bushels and bushels.”
“I will take some,” Diana said. “Robert? How about you?”
“No thank you. Cook takes care of all of that. And she is a fierce warrior if I intrude into her domain. And now I best be going,” he said nodding good-bye.
“I will get some of your beans when they are all sorted,” Diana said.
“Bye, bye,” Geoffrey said, waving to them as he closed the door.
“Those two amuse me greatly. You should put them as characters in one of your books,” Robert suggested as they headed back toward Diana’s house.
She laughed. “No one would believe them if I did.”
Reaching the front gate, Diana handed Robert a bunch of her flowers. He seemed surprised.
“For me?”
“For you. And why not?”
“I am afraid they might get damaged and not survive my ride home. Why not give them to your mother?”
“These are for my mother,” she said, holding up the second bunch of flowers.
“Then for your father… or even yourself. They would be lovely next to your inkwell when writing, would they not?”
Diana smiled. “Perhaps.”
Robert tipped his hat. “Thank you for your time this morning and our conversation.”
“Thank you.” She nodded.
“And I will work on a preface for the book and we can compare them when you have finished yours.”
He turned and left and she watched him walk down the street until he disappeared around a corner. She recognized the warm glow she always felt in his presence, and could not stop thinking of how much she enjoyed his company.
She looked down at the flowers in her hand and she went first to the gallery.
“Mother, I picked these for you in the meadow. It is so lovely just now. You and Father should take a stroll there.”
“Oh, thank you, dear. They are lovely. If you would… put them in a jar and I will place them on my desk.”
Diana did that and then decided the second bunch should go to the Goodwin sisters. She hoped they had sufficiently forgiven her for her rude outburst as she headed toward their cottage.
* * *
After her unexpected morning break, Diana was back at her desk once again. She reread what she had previously written and continued.
Tommy fought to keep awake until he heard Mrs. Cartwright leaving for the bakery, then he got up and dressed as quietly as he could.
He found a few spoonsful of soup in the pot from last night’s supper and had that for his breakfast before slipping out the door.
He ran all the way to the butcher’s shop as he wanted to be early to earn the butcher’s respect. And he was early—too early. And, as he had no coat, he nearly froze waiting for his boss to arrive.
“Ah, lad. Good on ya for being early. Come inside. Ya look like you be ‘bout ta freeze solid as a pole.”
They went inside and the butcher set him to working right away. All day long he worked. With only a crust of bread and a slice of cheese from the Misses, at noontime.
Tommy was so exhausted that evening he flopped onto the bed and fell asleep right away. Doris had to wake him and make him eat some supper that his mother had put together from scavenging the market stalls at the end of the day.
The next morning Tommy and Mother were already gone when Doris got up and dressed, tying a ribbon to hold back her hair, taking a slice of bread for breakfast, putting on her thin coat, and heading out the door.
She was afraid she might be a little late as she ran toward the flower market. Once the flower sellers were done, an army of men with brooms descend on the market floor and begin sweeping up all the discarded flowers and trash.
But Doris arrived in time and began picking through the debris on the floor looking for flowers she could use for her little bouquets.
She always had a selection of ribbons in her coat pocket and she sat on a bench and made her small arrangements.
Diana put down her pen when she noticed her mother coming along the garden path toward the house. Diana had worked right through lunch to make up for the time she had spent with Robert. It was now tea time.
She went into the kitchen just as Mother was putting on the kettle and taking down the box of tea.
“I just saw Adam heading our way,” Mother said. “He should be here any moment now.”
And then there was a knock at the door which Diana answered.
Adam leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Hello, darling Diana, I have excellent news!”
“You passed your exam?” she asked.
“Not yet. But we are going to Greece on our honeymoon and I booked us on a boat that will stop at Genoa on the way home so we can spend a little time in Italy as well.”
“That sounds splendid,” Diana said, taking Adam’s arm and leading him to the kitchen.
“Hello, Mrs. Browning,” Adam said as they entered.
“Oh, Adam, you can call me Mother now that you are about to be my son-in-law.”
“Mother…” he said with a big grin.
“Just fixing tea. You will have some, will you not?”
“I will, but I am embarrassed to say I did not bring anything from the bakery this time.”
“I believe we still have some muffins from breakfast. Diana, will you get out the butter and jam?”
“Yes, Mother.” She put them on the table and sat down next to Adam.
“How are your exams coming?” Mother asked Adam.
“Almost done. But my dissertation is still a pain in the neck.”
“I imagine you will be very happy when you graduate. Are you going directly into your father’s firm?” she asked.
“Not directly. I want to help organize the wedding and prepare for our honeymoon,” Adam said as he placed his hand on top of Diana’s, then taking her hand in his. But Diana found a way to extricate her hand by standing up and heating the tea pot with hot water from the kettle.
“Are you planning to publish any of Diana’s books?” Mother asked as she spooned the tea into the pot.
“No, Mother. I already told you. I am very happy with Sir Cecil as my publisher.
“But soon the Earl will be publishing under your name. Would it not make more sense to have another publisher for your new work?”
“No, Mother. Everything has been arranged, and I like the arrangement as it is.”
“Well, what do I know…?” Mother grumbled.
“Oh, I brought you some travel books on Greece,” Adam said, reaching into his bag and pulling out two books. “I thought you might like to read them before we plan our itinerary.”
Diana spoke up, “Can we not just—go? Why do we have to plan everything? It leaves out the joys of spontaneity.”
“But then we might miss a boat or not find room in a hotel. That would be disastrous.”
“Would it Adam? Really? Half the fun of traveling is the thrill of discovery. If everything is all planned out in advance there is no adventure, only the checking off of another destination on the list.”
Adam frowned as Mother poured the tea.
“Listen to you two, already squabbling as though you have been married half your lives.”
Diana turned to Adam. “So sorry, I shall read your books and then we can plan our trip together. How does that sound?”
Adam smiled. “Very sensible.”
Chapter 16
It was a charming June afternoon and Diana was kneeling at the flower bed in front of the cottage planting the annuals. She had a watering can at her side and made sure each set of plants had a healthy drink before she moved to the next section.
She was surprised to hear a carriage pull up in front of the house and she stood and shaded her eyes with her hand to see if the carriage had stopped at their house for a reason.
A footman got down from the back of the carriage, opened the door and Amelia descended.
Diana went through the front gate and, brushing the dirt off her hands, went over to Robert’s sister.
“Good afternoon, Amelia,” Diana said. “Did you come with a message from Robert?”
Amelia gave a generous smile and said, “Not at all. It is I who came to see you. I was in the area and I thought it might be nice if we had some tea. I would love to take you to Smith and Harlow’s. They do a lovely cream tea.” She looked Diana up and down. “But I am sure you will want to change first.”
Diana was, indeed, surprised by the invitation and not completely sure what this might be about. But from the hints Robert had dropped before, she was not sure that Amelia was here for just a polite social call.
“You are free, are you not?” Amelia said delicately removing her gloves.
“I shall be just a moment. If you would like to come inside, I shall change quickly.”
Amelia looked around and seeing the gallery, said, “I think I shall take a look at this quaint little gallery. You will find me there when you return.”
“Very well. It is my mother’s gallery and she will be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding the artwork.”
Tea at Smith and Harlow’s was always a treat as it was considered the high-end tea shop in Cambridge. She would dress in one of her nicer dresses. Amelia was dressed elegantly and Diana did not want to seem shabby in comparison.
After changing, Diana went to the gallery where Mother was holding up a watercolor for Amelia who was holding a lorgnette to examine it closely.
“Most charming,” Amelia said as she closed the lorgnette and returned it to her reticule.
“Miss Amelia, I am quite ready now,” Diana said.
“Ah, excellent. I am quite parched.” She turned to Mother. “Charming little side business. It is so nice to keep occupied. Is that not so?”
As she was leaving, she spied Robert’s orchid and went over and touched one of its delicate blooms. “Robert plays with these from time to time. He calls it his hobby.”
As Amelia turned away, Diana had to stifle a smile as she saw her Mother stick out her tongue at Amelia’s back. Apparently, that was her reaction to Amelia’s condescending visit.
Amelia directed the carriage to the tea shop. A
fter arriving, they entered and were finally shown to a table Amelia could tolerate after rejecting several suggestions.
The tea shop was most elegant. Its high vaulted ceilings, large windows, and lightweight, cream-colored draperies gave it a distinguished air. The tables had white tablecloths, napkins shaped like swans, and a staff in formal wear.
“No need for a menu,” Amelia said to the waitress while removing her gloves once again. “We will have the cream tea with salmon paste and cucumber sandwiches and your best assortment of tea cakes.” She cast her gaze to Diana. “India or China?” she inquired.
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